


Hour By Hour

by pan_dora



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Depression, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Steo, alternative universe, stiles x theo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-16
Updated: 2018-02-16
Packaged: 2019-03-19 14:44:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13706622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pan_dora/pseuds/pan_dora
Summary: Mason shot him an affronted glance. Lydia furrowed her brows. “As I was saying,” he continued shaking his head, “I went to ask Corey hoping to get a bit more information.” Stiles rolled his eyes, but didn’t interrupt the younger. He really questioned why he was friends with the nosiest people on the goddamn planet. “But ‘bros before hoes’.” Mason grunted crossing his arms in annoyance. “He didn’t tell me shit.”“Maybe because it’s none of your business,” Stiles remarked in a low voice, “and you really shouldn’t go around spreading rumours.”





	Hour By Hour

**Author's Note:**

> After scrapping at least ten stories because I wasn't happy with anything I've written lately, I've decided to dip my toe into something entirely new.

“What’s up with Tracy?” Stiles asked as he joined his group of friends in the school's hallway. “I just saw her in English Lit, and she looked like she was crying all weekend.” Not, that it was usually in his interest. Other people’s drama was so far off his radar that he only ever heard about them when the whole school was already deep in speculation about the who and the when and the what. But even Stiles couldn’t ignore Theo’s usual accessory alone in classroom with eyes that were so puffy and red it spoke volumes about her emotional state the last two days; and although he knew the answer, Stiles was aware that his friends expected him to ask.

Mason gaped at him. “How-“ He began throwing his hands in the air- “are you surviving without knowing what’s going in at this school?”

“I don’t understand why I have to give a shit about other people’s business.”

“Because it’s interesting?” Kira suggested.

Stiles rolled his eyes. “Forget that I asked.”

Liam cackled, but his good mood withered as Hayden walked by them in the hallway, one arm tightly wrapped around a still sobbing Tracy. Stiles glanced at the two girls before clearing his throat and turning away. He had seen enough of her rundown mascara and the hasty wiping of her eyes for one day. He couldn’t stomach her crying any longer knowing exactly why she felt the way she felt. Lydia caught his eye, raising her brows; so Stiles looked at Scott, who was too busy adoring Kira than to take any notice of his behaviour.

“Okay, so,” Mason began clearing his throat with the biggest grin, “I overheard Theo talking to Josh yesterday – when I was waiting for Corey to get ready after Basketball practice.” Stiles crossed and uncrossed his arms, then grabbed the straps of his backpack. He did not like were this was going. “Theo said something like: ‘This isn’t done.’ To which Josh replied: ‘You actually interested or just pissed because you can’t take no for an answer?’” Mason looked from one to the other, round and round waiting for someone to be as excited about this whole story as himself. “And Theo said that he needed to _go for it_ to see what’s what.”

Stiles shifted again shaking his head. “I-“ He pulled out his phone, glanced at the display. Nothing. “I just decided that I actually didn’t care after all.” Clenching his teeth, he unlocked his phone to go into his messages. Nothing new there either. Stiles shoved his phone back in the pocket of his jeans.

Mason shot him an affronted glance. Lydia furrowed her brows. “As I was saying,” he continued shaking his head, “I went to ask Corey hoping to get a bit more information.” Stiles rolled his eyes, but didn’t interrupt the younger. He really questioned why he was friends with the nosiest people on the goddamn planet. “But ‘bros before hoes’.” Mason grunted crossing his arms in annoyance. “He didn’t tell me shit.”

“Maybe because it’s none of your business,” Stiles remarked in a low voice, “and you really shouldn’t go around spreading rumours.”

“Nobody’s spreading rumours,” Scott uttered gesturing dismissively. But he kept one arm wrapped around Kira’s shoulder, because that’s where his priorities lied. As per usual. And she played with his fingers trying to hide her giddiness behind a serious expression that couldn’t fool anybody. Sometimes Stiles was surprised their friendship survived as long as it had. Especially now that he barely seemed to have time for him anymore. Just like the rest of the group. Everyone had a fucking significant other, and they were all so sickeningly happy. Well, everyone but Liam who was disgustingly heartbroken.

Stiles couldn’t stand it.

“Someone saw Theo make out with someone on the stairs,” Kira agreed furrowing her brows even further, “and then leave the party.”

“As if that’s something new,” Stiles muttered licking his lips. Theo, being the captain of the basketball team, regarded it as his duty to hook up with a different person during every party he attended; sometimes even two depending on how everything turned out. Everyone wanted to be on his parties, everyone who was interested in guys wanted to be the person Theo decided to wrap around his finger next.

“Actually,” Lydia chimed in, “he didn’t hook up with anybody for a couple of weeks. That’s why people assumed he’s with Tracy. But then he up and vanished for the whole of spring break with this person.” _Person_? So nobody had been able to identify who Theo had first hooked up and then left with. That’s probably for the best.

“And that’s why everybody’s talking about it now,” Mason added pointing at Lydia. “Not to forget, Corey’s said he’s a lot nicer as an alpha.”

“He also hadn't been in any fights recently,” Liam agreed leaning against the lockers at his back.

Kira raised a finger. “And he was really pissed as Josh offered minors drugs during that one party a while ago.” She smiled almost softly. How naive.

Stiles quirked his brows, then rolled his eyes again. “So?”

“ _So_?” Mason echoed. “That’s an intense improvement.”

“It’s just a facade,” Stiles pointed out annoyed by their collective gullibility. How did they even survive this long? That seemed more and more like a miracle. “He was probably bored with his old life and checks what other footsteps he can walk in.” He scoffed running a hand through his hair. “Just wait. He’ll be back to himself in no time.” All this talk about Theo getting a better person. It’s completely pointless. He'd never change.

“Why are you so pessimistic?” Scott asked frowning. “You were the one saying he deserved a second chance.”

“Obviously, I was wrong,” Stiles replied shrugging. “It happens to the best of us.” He still wasn't quite sure what had made him think that someone like Theo could change.

Scott shook his head. “What would you want us to do?”

“I’m not your boss,” Stiles reminded him when his phone finally gave a notification for a new text message. “And you don’t listen to me anyway... so-“ He looked down, squinting at the words lightning up together with his display.

“Stiles, don't get me wrong but,” Lydia’s fingers ghosted down his arm before curling around his wrist, “did you have-“

_Nice joke._

“I mean,” Lydia continued while Stiles was watching the bubble pop up in the chat, barely listening to her words. He had read the message, which meant he should stop with this crap. But as per usual, his words were completely ignored. He didn’t even know why he tried talking to others. It lead to absolutely nothing anyway.

_You look hot today. Where are you now?_

Stiles narrowed his eyes and freed his wrist from Lydia’s grip to text a reply. _I mean it. Don’t send me any more messages._ He really, really wasn’t into this crap. Theo couldn’t just ignore his words. Well, he could but- he shouldn’t. Not really. But even his friends ignored what he was saying most of the time. So, how could he expect Theo to be any better?

Someone flicked their fingers in front of his face. Stiles flinched, then looked up again. “Huh?” Scott had his hand still raised, expression contorted into worry. Everyone else was looking at him as well. Stiles hated when that happened. It made him feel like he had done something terrible wrong. Well, he had done something wrong. But his friends didn’t know about that yet; and he’d rather not tell them. Ever. They’d only make a big deal about it when in reality it meant nothing.

“Lydia’s asked you a question?”

“Oh, yeah, right. Sorry.” He shoved his phone back to where it had come from, then pushed his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. “It’s fine. I’m fine. I mean-“ Stiles licked his lips, trying his best to ignore the concerned faces of his friends. “I was just stressed out because of college applications. The letters-“

“You're supposed to avoid stress,” Kira reminded him quietly.

Stiles huffed. “That’s basically impossible to achieve as a High School student. Especially with our lives,” he noted crossing his arms again.

Lydia and Scott exchanged a quick look. “I thought you already wrote the application letters?” He asked then in a tone that he clearly meant to be understanding but came out accusatory. Or maybe Stiles just thought that it did. He needed to remind himself of that. His friends only wanted to help.

“Uh, guys?” Liam suddenly interrupted the conversation to point at something behind Stiles and Lydia’s back. They both turned around to see what was going on, although his interest couldn’t exactly be described as present. It might be nothing more than something that would- Stiles stiffened. Theo walked down the hallway. Alone. And he didn’t quite take a stroll through the school corridor but walked with a purpose as well as a destination; one that seemed to be Stiles. He had clearly stated that he did not want to be approached by him at school. Theo happened to ignore that just like the rest of the message’s content – and he looked severely pissed.

“What the _fuck_ is wrong with you?” He got right into his face, leaving barely any space or doubts who his anger was directed at. People immediately stopped to stare. Everyone knew what would happen if Theo Raeken was angry with someone. They rarely left unharmed. With Liam in the middle of the chaos, you had a receipt for an explosive encounter. “Fucking explain to me what this is, will you?” Theo basically shoved the phone in his face.

Stiles swallowed around the lump in his throat. “It was a bad idea.” His voice was quiet. Everyone was staring at them. He wished he could be someone else somewhere far away from here. It would be impossible to deal with this situation, even though it’s his own fault.

Theo jeered, lips pulling back to reveal straight white teeth. Memories flashed behind his eyes, memories of a time when this mouth had contorted into a grin. “A bad idea is to sneak out to a party and get wasted. What you did was completely _mental_!”

“Hey, watch it!” Liam yelled drawing more and more attention to them.

“No,” Stiles muttered pushing the younger back against the lockers. “It’s fine.” He should’ve known Theo wouldn’t just swallow that pill. Regarding the way he had handled the situation, he had it coming.

Theo barely gave Liam a second glance. “I did not almost get shot by your dad to be fucking dumped like this.” He stepped even closer, and Stiles had trouble to stand his ground. “It was your fucking idea-“ Despite being a few inches taller, Theo managed to look down on him- “You said you told him. But when I dropped you off at home, your father completely lost his shit. I was sure he was about to shove a gun in my face.”

“That’s a little-“

Theo narrowed his eyes, his expression was more feral than how it could be during his shift. “Listen, I’ve put up with a lot of shit to be where I am now,” he hissed, face inching closer to Stiles', “you don’t get to dump me over a fucking text message. Tomorrow. After school. Meet me at the parking lot.” Theo  stepped away, either oblivious or uncaring about the people staring at them.

Stiles swallowed again. “I’ll try.”

“ _No_. No trying. Be there or you’ll regret it.” With that, Theo turned on his heels and stalked back towards his own group of friends.

Mason let out a breath. “What the hell just happened?”

Stiles pulled his hood up and wrapped his fingers around the straps of his backpack. Lydia put a hand on his shoulder, but he shook her off and walked out of the school without another word.

 

“I see if he’s awake.”

The door to his room opened quietly. As per usual, the footsteps did not immediately come to the bed. Instead his dad crossed the room to switch the light at his desk on. When the sun wasn’t shining, they had made this deal as to not bother him with bright light. Stiles heard the barely audible click, then his father approached the bed. “Kiddo?” He asked in a voice that was hardly louder than a whisper.

Stiles didn’t react immediately. Instead he thought about pretending to be asleep. Dealing with anything or anyone seemed far out of reach. But he didn’t want to ignore his father or hurt him anymore than he was already doing. After a few moments, in which he needed to convince himself, Stiles slowly opened his eyes.

“You have a visitor,” John said putting a hand on his cheek.

Stiles let him caress his temple for a little while. It was a nice gesture, but he didn’t want his father to feel like he needed to take care of him all the time. “I don’t want to see anyone,” he replied after a long silence.

John didn’t sigh or rolled his eyes. He simply smiled. “I know.” His finger still drew tiny circles into his skin. “Let's make a compromise. He stays until I’m back from grocery shopping.”

Stiles looked at him in silence again. Then he curled his hands into his blankets, pulling them a little tighter around himself. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

“You’re my son,” John replied earnestly. “I love you, of course I always worry about you.”

Stiles swallowed. It was a pointless discussion. He didn’t know why he tried. “Okay.”

John pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Call me, when something’s up.”

Stiles only nodded and closed his eyes again. He was tired, but he didn’t want to be rude to his visitor – even though Lydia and Scott both knew what they had to deal with when they decided to come by his place. He had told them time and time again that he didn’t want to drag them down, but for some reason they never stayed away.

The door closed with a quiet click. A rucksack landed on the ground with a thud, and the mattress moved a little. “Well, I made an ass out of myself, eh?”

Stiles opened his eyes to find Theo crouching in front of the bed, his arms crossed on the mattress next to his pillow. As if it wasn’t bad enough that he pulled his two best friends and his dad down to his level, now he had managed to make Theo feel terrible as well. “No,” Stiles whispered pulling his blanket up to his chin. “It’s my fault.”

Theo shook his head. “No, instead of getting in your face I should’ve asked what’s wrong.”

Stiles swallowed and rolled onto his back. “You couldn’t have known.”

“I could’ve put two and two together,” Theo replied reaching out a hand to smoothen the blanket. “I knew you had moments in which you don’t feel good but I thought it’s because of all that has happened to you.” He sighed lowering his head. His hand rested on Stiles’ chest. The last time, Theo had touched him like this, seemed far away. Another lifetime. A life in which he wouldn’t ruin everything. “It’s not like I haven’t noticed you’re ecstatic behaviour. I just told myself it’s because you finally caved in and took what you wanted.” Theo moved to sit on the edge of the mattress, his hand now cupping Stiles’ jaw.

Stiles closed his eyes. “You should leave.”

“Why?”

Swallowing again, Stiles rolled onto his side, his back to Theo now. “I don’t want you to be here and feel bad.”

Theo ran his fingers through his hair. “I don’t feel bad.”

Stiles didn’t say anything. It was okay if Theo decided to lie to him. After all, he hadn't been entirely honest with him either. “I’m tired,” Stiles whispered hoping to get him to leave without hurting him any further.

“Okay.” Theo ran his thumb along his jawline and got to his feet.

 

As Stiles woke up again, the sun was shining. Although he’d rather have the blinds closed, his father refused to follow his wish reminding him how important sunlight was. Stiles couldn’t be bothered to get out of bed most of the time. It’s not like it mattered anyway. He was used to waking up to rays of sunshine. But as he opened his eyes today, he found himself face to face with Theo.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hi,” Stiles replied quietly and rolled onto his back.

Theo placed his hand back on his chest, gently tugging at the blanket to keep him covered and warm. “Do you need anything?”

Stiles licked his lips, closing his eyes again. “What time is it?”

“Ten something, I think.” His voice was quiet, soft.

Stiles didn’t quite understand what he was still doing here. “Shouldn’t you be at school?” He asked and turned his head to look at him.

“I happen to have food poisoning.” Theo wiggled his brows. With a smile, he put his hand just underneath Stiles’ ear and ran two fingers through his short strands.

They fell quiet after that. Stiles didn’t push Theo’s hand away. He just closed his eyes hoping to fall asleep. If he was lucky, he wouldn’t have to deal with Theo finally leaving. It would happen eventually. People _left_. That’s what usually occurred. Stiles couldn’t blame them. But it was still easier to wake up and see them gone instead of watching them walk out of the room, the house, his life.

“Are you hungry?” Theo continued to run his fingers through his hair. Still smiling. Still looking like he didn’t want to go anytime soon. “Or thirsty?”

Stiles shook his head. “You don’t have to be here and think you need to care for me.”

“I don’t mind,” Theo said brushing his thumb over the shell of Stiles’ ear. “It’s the least I can do after blowing up in your face.” His hand slowly ventured to the back of his head, caressing him.

Slowly, Stiles moved to curl the blanket tighter around him. “I deserved it.”

Theo narrowed his eyes, and his fingers stopped moving. “Don't- no.” He shook his head for emphasis. “Nobody deserves to be yelled at in the hallway. Especially not you. Period.” It were strange words to hear out of Theo’s mouth. For some reason. He wasn’t usually nice. He did what he had to do to get what he wanted. Stiles had made him believe that he needed to change to have a chance. Which was a lie. Theo had always had a chance. Stiles had only used his influence to bend the chimera to his will.

And now it was just a matter of time until he noticed how completely pointless it was.

Stiles rolled to his other side facing the wall instead of the other boy. It’s easier not to see the realisation dawning on his face. Theo sighed, then tucked him in.

 

It was still light out when he found Theo sitting at his desk doing homework. On his nightstand was a Thermos flask with either something to drink or chicken broth Melissa usually brought along during times like this. Stiles turned away again without saying anything. He wondered why Theo was even still here.

 

It was dark in his room when he woke up another time. He was alone, but the whisper-shouting from the other side of the closed door indicated that Theo happened to still be here. The other voice belonged to Scott. They argued quiet enough that Stiles had no clue what they were even talking about. For a moment, he found himself hoping Theo would continue to stay, then he pulled the blanket over his head and scolded himself an idiot.

 

Stiles managed to crawl out of bed around dawn. Theo was sleeping soundly beside him. He _stayed_. It elated him for a few heartbeats. But realisation came crashing down in the shower. How long would Theo actually put up with his shit? He knew he wasn’t easy to handle. That’s why, out of his group of friends, only Lydia and Scott gave a damn. Scott stuck around, because he had too big a heart to ditch him, probably because he had been unfortunate enough to grow up with him; and Lydia- who knew why Lydia stayed. Maybe because she felt like she owed him something.

Brushing his teeth brought the problem of being confronted with his reflection. Dark rings underneath his eyes contrasted his pale skin. He looked sick. He looked the way he felt. Like shit. He rinsed his mouth and dropped the toothbrush in a glass before leaving the bathroom. His father was either still asleep or already at work. He didn’t know. It didn’t matter. As he was about to open the door, Theo did that for him. He was party dressed, only one arm properly through his sleeve, and a phone in hand. His eyes widened, then he let out a breath and leaned against the doorframe. “There you are,” he said massaging his own shoulder for a moment. “Are you okay?”

Stiles didn’t answer but slipped past Theo to crawl back into bed. He pulled the covers up to his shoulders. A moment later, the mattress moved and Theo curled around his back, one arm loosely put around his waist.

 

When twilight came, Theo was gone. Stiles rolled onto his back. He was neither surprised nor hurt. His leaving was something he had expected to happen. It seemed impressive that he had stayed for so long. Still, he couldn’t deny that somehow, he had hoped him to be here when he finally decided to face reality again. He knew he had his dad as well as Scott and Lydia, who would come immediately if he called them. But for some reason, he had gotten used to the second body in his bed.

Stiles made his way to his dresser and slipped into fresh clothes pulling a hood up. Weird, how this made him feel better, a little more secure about himself. He hoped his dad was downstairs instead of working. He hated nothing more than to call somebody telling them he’d gotten out of bed, but especially his father insisted him doing exactly that. All hell would break loose if Stiles neglected to make this call. However, he needed to eat something first. His stomach made sure to remind him how much it had been mistreated the last two days; and his body wasn’t a lot nicer. The way to the kitchen downstairs couldn’t possibly be any longer. The stairs were more exhausting than Stiles remembered, and he took a short break once he had mastered them. Nibbling on an apple as well as two sips of the chicken broth didn’t exactly feel like it had been enough.

So, first food, then his father or a combination of both.

When he reached the kitchen, however, he stopped short as he heard his dad speak. “No, I don’t think Scott’s right.” Stiles furrowed his brows, then crossed his arms in front of his chest. Was he talking on the phone? Had something happened while Stiles had been lying in bed being completely useless? “It leads to increased confidence. It may have lowered his inhibitions enough to take what he wants.”

“Scott’s sure I’m just a sick idea he’s had during his episode.” Stiles bit his bottom lip, hard. Theo’s _still_ here. He hadn’t left – but he would now. He would leave. What had happened would make him realise the extend of what he was going to have to deal with in case he decided to continue being interested in him.

John let out an audible breath. “Have you interacted in a, a-“ Stiles covered his face while his father was searching for a fitting description- “sexual way before he had his episode?”

Theo cleared his throat. “We, uhm, we- well, I kissed him and he kissed me back, then he pushed me away.” Someone rapped their nails against the table. “That was two weeks before spring break.” The sound stopped. Stiles shifted his weight, debating whether to interrupt or continue listening to the conversation. The fact that Theo hadn’t noticed him yet was quite unusual. “And,” he added after a few moments of uncomfortable silence, “he continued to tell me that he wouldn’t start anything as long as I am unable to be a normal, functioning member of society.”

“Okay,” John said after a moment of silence, “I doubt you’re just a sick idea. Of course, it is entirely possible, although I suggest you talk to him when he’s up to it.”

“That’s what Lydia said, too.”

Stiles decided that perhaps now would be a good time to make his presence known. He hooked his fingers in the little notch and opened the door. The silence in the room felt sudden, and he could feel the attention shift onto him before he had fully slid it open. He concentrated on the door until it had vanished in the wall, then he tapped it twice with his index finger. It was a signal they invented to avoid the awkward ‘ _How are you doing?’_ moment. They both knew he still struggled with his mind set, but was ready to give the world another try.

“Kiddo,” John said smiling, “are you hungry?”

Stiles nodded, slowly making his way to the table. Theo, whose lips were still rounded from the last word he spoke, suddenly snapped back into reality. “Oh, food.” He suddenly got to his feet, barefooted and wearing sweatpants. As he reached the stove to handle the contents of the frying pan Stiles hadn’t noticed before, the chimera seemed awfully comfortable in their household.

“So,” Stiles began wrapping his fingers around the chair to his dad’s right, opposite to where Theo had sat a second ago, “How much junk food did you eat?”

John pulled a face. “I didn’t have the chance to mess up my diet _once_ ,” he complained scrunching up his nose in indignation. “Lydia brought lunch twice. Scott had checked in with dinner and you even set Parrish up to watch over me.” His mouth parted into an easy grin as Stiles’ lips twitched for a minute smile. “And now Theo’s trying to cook.”

The chimera opted for an indignant huff.

“I hope you checked for poison,” Stiles fake-whispered.

John raised his brows. “If it tastes anything like his grilled cheese, I’ll demand pizza.”

“How the hell do you fuck up grilled cheese?”

“If you’re going to be an ungrateful dick, I’ll feed your dad junk food next time,” Theo uttered throwing a nasty look in their’ general direction.

 _Next time_. Stiles lowered his eyes. The next time. Yeah. And the next time after that. And also the next time after that. And the umpteenth time after that. There was always going to be a next time. As well as there would always be another spring break situation. There was no stopping it. There was no end in sight, unless _he_ ended. “Theo-“

“Yeah?” He didn’t even look up from the pan.

“I... thanks for-“ Stiles pressed his lips into a thin line, breathing in deep through his nose. “I don’t think this is going to work out.”

For a moment it looked like Theo froze in his movements, but he quickly gathered his composure. “Let’s talk about this when you’re better.”

“That’s the whole point,” Stiles said, his knuckles turning white around the wooden chair. “I’ll never _be_ better. There’s two ways this is going to go-“ Theo turned to face him, expression unreadable. John tried to leave the kitchen as inconspicuous as possible. Stiles squeezed his eyes shut. “Either, you’ll grow tired of me or I’ll hurt you. It’s not always going to be spring break.” It’s bound to be worse again.

“I know that.”

“No, you don’t.”

“I do,” Theo insisted walking over to him. “I’ve done my research the last two days. I talked to your dad, to Lydia, to Scott and Melissa.”

Stiles wondered what they had told him. Perhaps about that time he had thought he had cured ADHD and ended up in the ER on an overdose that had almost killed him when he had been twelve. Or maybe about the time one and a half years later, when he had thought he had solved that case his father couldn’t. Or maybe the time not too long ago, when he had convinced everyone to go to Mexico, put them all in mortal danger and ended the trip with fucking the teenage version of Derek only to ruin not only his and Malia’s relationship but also Derek and his forever. That had to be the reason Scott thought Theo was just another sick idea during an episode. Because that had been the excuse Stiles had chosen for his escapade with Derek. People tended to let him get away with a lot of fucked up shit despite his disorder not being an excuse for anything. Perhaps, if he had been less of a scared little child and had been honest with himself and everyone around him, Derek wouldn’t have left. But he had left, and there was no going back now; just a reminder what was about to happen again. He’d hurt Theo, and he would leave.

“I’m going to fuck things up,” Stiles whispered. “Eventually, I always do.”

“Frankly, I don’t care what’s going to happen somewhere along the line.” Theo pulled him closer, cupping his neck and pressing their foreheads together. Stiles curled his hands into fists at his sides. “This goes wrong or it doesn’t.”

“It will-“

“I don’t live in the future, and as far as I know, no one can predict it.” Theo's lips brushed against his cheek. “How about you join me in the present?” He pulled back just enough to be able to look at him. “How about we’re going to do this slowly.” Gently, he ran his thumbs along Stiles' jaw. “No labels, no promises. Just the two of us trying to figure out where we want to be, and if you wake up realising I have been nothing more than a sick idea, I’ll never bother you again.”

Stiles swallowed around a lump in his throat. “You’re not,” he whispered, nails digging into the palms of his hand. “That’s why I’m afraid to hurt you.”

“What if I hurt you?” Theo inquired tapping his pointer against his jawline. “I mean, it wouldn’t be completely off limits. You’ve seen my past.” Stiles furrowed his brows. But Theo seemed to have noticed he didn’t exactly help his situation with statements like this. “Okay.” He made a single, short dismissive gesture. “What I am trying to say is, this relationship can be the best or the worst thing. Which is normal for every kind of relationship. So-” Theo took a levelled breath, before smiling at him- “instead of throwing everything away because of something that may or may not happen in the future, how about we’ll do this hour by hour, one day at a time?” Stiles licked his lips. His words sounded frustratingly reasonable, and he made it sound so easy. Theo turned his face slightly upwards and to the left, nose nudging Stiles’.

He shouldn’t give in, but he really wanted to; and maybe he was right. Maybe this wouldn’t actually end in heartbreak and pain. Stiles bit his bottom lip, fingers slowly uncurling as if to make a grab for Theo. They were so close, and he remembered the warm body lying in bed beside him. It might not have shortened the time he had spend hiding away from everyone or cured him miraculously; that didn’t mean it hadn’t felt nice to have someone to be just there for him. “Don’t let me drag you down.”

“You couldn’t.”

“No food poisoning next time.”

“A stomach bug then.”

Stiles escaped a breathy laugh. Theo kissed it right off his lips, and he continued to do so until Stiles’ had to almost forcefully remove himself from him. “I mean it,” he repeated, pushing the other away until they could look at each other again. “You don’t have to feel like you need to take care of me.” This was the last thing he needed. Someone feeling responsible for him, for his condition – for anything regarding his situation.

“I  know.”

“I don’t want you to regret this.”

“I won’t.”

Stiles had no clue how Theo could be so sure about this, how he could be so sure about anything at all. But he had given Malia a chance, although he had ruined it pretty quickly – and Theo seemed to be a lot more aware about everything going on. Whatever the case, he decided to give it a chance. Perhaps it was a risk he needed to take; or rather, maybe it was a risk he had to let others take. Theo was old enough to know what he wanted. With a small sigh, he curled his arms around his shoulders.

Theo wrapped his around Stiles’ waist pressing a trail of small kisses along his jawline. “We probably should order pizza – with extra cheese for your dad because he’s probably not exactly happy about his only son dating someone like me.” Well, Theo wasn’t exactly son-in-law material, granted, but they shouldn’t forget that he had also dated a girl who had been a coyote for the most part of her teenager years and whose first idea of problem solving was violence and murder. “Also, I can’t cook for shit.”

Stiles pressed a quick kiss to his temple. “Set the table and get pops, I’ll see what I can save.”


End file.
